]]>http://www.coldfear.com/silver-lining-episode-13/feed/0Spirit Chimneyhttp://www.coldfear.com/spirit-chimney/
http://www.coldfear.com/spirit-chimney/#respondThu, 15 Oct 2015 17:09:25 +0000http://www.coldfear.com/?p=2520I posted the pictures below on Instagram and then realized that I had never really told the story about this trip or climb from 4 … Read the rest

]]>I posted the pictures below on Instagram and then realized that I had never really told the story about this trip or climb from 4 years ago. I did put together a video, but as you know editorial pieces tell a story much better than some random video segments. Below is the Instagram posts and the full story on how I lost Doug Shepherd minutes after we summited this incredible new route.

Here are some other photos that I did not post on Instagram.

Doug Shepherd heading up the first pitch

Aaron Mulkey leading up the 3 pitch.
Photo taken of Doug and I by our friends climbing another route. This picture gives you a good idea of the size of this chimney system.

Aaron Mulkey heading up the 4th pitch vein of ice.

Half way to the top, on one of the best alpine routes in the Beartooths. This route is still waiting for a second ascent, I believe. Deep in this chimney, the snow field gives a false illusion that the technical climbing is over. Doug Shepherd and I found out we still had to earn the top. The Spirit Chimney remains one of my favorite big multi-pitch first ascents… despite losing Doug for many hours on top and thinking he was dead, but that’s another story.

Here @dpshepherd gets intimate with the Spirit Chimney on one of the crux pitches. This is the 5th or 6th pitch, about half way up the chimney. The large chockstone sneak is very key on this pitch. We had ideal snow and weather conditions which made this pitch doable. The snowfield that I posted yesterday lays right above this pitch, which means if it’s windy at all you’re going to be climbing up the barrel of a loaded gun. I will post one more shot tomorrow and then give the final story on losing @dpshepherd on the summit.

The snow slope in the picture posted at the top of this page led right into this bottleneck chimney, which proved to be the second crux of the Spirit Chimney route. A nice little vein of ice led me into the overhanging blocks, which provided some airy navigation. Once through the blocks, the vein of ice reappeared, leading me to a very exposed slope with a nice cornice umbrella and a desperate anchor one pitch below the summit

As Doug topped out on the last pitch of the chimney, the sun had set. I climbed up from my perch below as fast I could, knowing that neither of us had stood on top of this peak before and neither of us really had a good idea how to hike off. Rappelling the route wasn’t an option since the last two pitches had few gear possibilities as it was and we knew there was a way to walk off. We quickly celebrated on top as a storm was beginning to blow in and darkness was on our heels. I threw my things in my pack and Doug was fighting to loosen his frozen straps on his crampons to get them off. In an attempt to try and get an eye on our descent route before complete darkness set in, I started boulder hoping across the summit to look over the east side of the peak to where I believed the descent route would be. About 100 yards across the summit, I hiked down about 20 feet and found our route. I sat for a few minutes thinking Doug was right behind me, but when he didn’t appear I began to hike back to the top. At this point about ten minutes has passed. I clicked my headlamp on as the storm had started to blow snow and visibility was going away very quickly along with any kind of day light. I yelled and yelled and could not see or hear Doug anywhere. The wind was blasting across the summit as I made my way back to our top out point. No signs of Doug anywhere. Fuck…where did he go? At this point I went from being so psyched to have completed this big new route with Doug and celebrating on top to thinking Doug tripped and fell off the face. I shined my light down into the chimney yelling his name. Nothing… I was now alone and had no idea what happened to Doug. Obviously the worst thoughts went through my mind, but I knew Doug was not the type to wander off or trip over the side of the mountain. It was pitch black now and I began to wander around in the blizzard, hoping to see a headlamp or hear a voice. About 45 minutes passed by and the weather was getting worse as my core temp began dropping quickly. Two scenarios were in my head at this point. Either Doug found another way down or he had fallen off the summit and tumbled to the bottom. I started my decent into the valley below, hoping that if he was somewhere on top he would see my headlamp. As I dropped lower into the valley, visibility got much better and I eventually sat on a rock, an emotional wreck. I continued to question my decision to leave the summit without him, but here I was and still no signs of Doug. I sat on the rock turning my light on and off, hoping that I could maybe see a light above me. After 30 more minutes, I decided to head over the pass and into the opposite valley where we had camped. An hour later, I was over the pass and getting close to camp. In the distance, I could see our friends’ headlamps at camp. They were trying another route in the valley, but got shut down and were back at camp. Unfortunately, I could only see two headlamps walking around the tents. I yelled as loud as I could, but the wind was overpowering, so I continued to hike down. As I walked into camp, Tanner Callender and Chris Guyer met up with me, wanting to know what all the yelling was about. I was absolutely exhausted at this point, emotionally and physically. My last hope was that Doug was in camp and worried about me, but that hope quickly diminished when they confirmed they had not seen Doug. As I sat on the ground trying to regain some composure, Rusty Willis and Daniel Burson appeared out of the darkness. They had just hiked in, planning to climb the next day and were planning to scare the crap out of us in our tents that night. After giving them all the details, they quickly packed some light packs and headed out to look for Doug. Rusty and Daniel decided to head back over the pass and retrace my steps while Chris and Tanner began to hike over to the base of the peak. I wanted to head out with them, but my body was beginning to shutdown so I go into our tent and tried to eat and get my core temp back up. About two hours passed. I was beginning to feel better and started to get ready to head out to help with the search. I stepped out of the tent and looked above to see three headlamps coming over the pass. I could not have been happier to see his light and know that he was not dead.

Eventually they made it into camp and Doug was able to fill in the unknowns of what had happened up there. Shortly after I had left, Doug got up and headed in the same direction, but couldn’t see me because of the large boulder fields. I think I was below him but not visible when he looked over the edge at the descent route. Doug had never been here—I at least had an idea of where to go. By the time I had hiked back towards our summit point, he had already continued down the ridge plateau. Doug fell and got a foot stuck in some rocks, which kept him from being visible when I walked back to the top and then eventually it was dark. The incoming storm and the rolling plateau with large rocks kept us from ever seeing each other. Doug eventually turned around on the plateau and spotted Rusty and Daniel’s headlamps in the same area where I had sat on the rock. They spotted each other and made their way back to camp. So many lessons were learned on this trip. The main one being you should just never leave your partner’s side on the summit or descent.

]]>http://www.coldfear.com/regulators-episode-12-sensibility/feed/0Parenting on the Wild Sidehttp://www.coldfear.com/parentingonthewildside/
http://www.coldfear.com/parentingonthewildside/#commentsFri, 15 May 2015 16:22:29 +0000http://www.coldfear.com/?p=2505As a kid, I can’t remember a single day hanging out watching TV with my parents, but I have many memories of being outside with … Read the rest

As a kid, I can’t remember a single day hanging out watching TV with my parents, but I have many memories of being outside with them. Getting my kids outside to experience new things has always been a priority for me. I know that it will help them grow in a world that is heavily dependent on technology. I worry it will become harder for a child to see and experience what a day in the mountains can offer as our world progresses. Here, my daughter tops out on her first big alpine climb in mountains.

The alpine playground for a 12-year old is pretty daunting. It goes beyond the feeling a child gets their first day at a new school. The evening before, we watched one of the most amazing alpine sunsets I had ever seen. I don’t think either of us slept much, but the 5am buzz came way too soon. As we started up the initial lower snow field, the morning glow hit the slopes as if fireworks had exploded overhead. After a couple pitches up, we began to get some air under our feet and I could begin to see some anxiety building. I asked how she was feeling and she said she felt sick. The next moment, she was puking at the belay and before I could say “Let’s head down” she said, “I feel much better now, let’s keep going.” I couldn’t have been more proud of her. She worked through her fears and anxiety and wanted to push on. At age 12, I don’t know if I would have been that strong, but I am very proud to call her my daughter.

For most kids, the unknown is never their first choice and probably for good reason. When it comes to getting outside and trying new things, kids these days would rather choose the path already travelled, which typically leads to hours of gaming and TV. At age 14, my son has experienced more than most adults, but he didn’t always participate willingly. At first, I tried to choose things I was sure he would like, but it took me some time to realize that if I followed that path, I wouldn’t be bringing new experiences into his life. Sometimes these experiences are appreciated much more after the fact (sorta like Type 3 fun), but the experience and the memories can be life changing. I figure the more my kids experience outside, they are more likely to find their own passions and adventures in the mountains in the future. I hope it all leads to a growing appreciation of amazing wild places.

“Whatever our passions are we must feed them, we must invest in them, we must build them, even if they are castles in the sky” – Hendri Coetzee

Sharing my passions with my children and wife is one of my most rewarding life experiences.

As my daughter and I sat on a ridge watching the sunset I walked away to look at our decent and I took a moment to look back and captured this image. With video games, TV and all of the other things that can capture a kids mind, its nice to see wilderness is still the ultimate power.

]]>http://www.coldfear.com/parentingonthewildside/feed/3FINAL ROUND- Photo Hold’em Contesthttp://www.coldfear.com/final-round-photo-holdem-contest/
http://www.coldfear.com/final-round-photo-holdem-contest/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 00:35:10 +0000http://www.coldfear.com/?p=2491Welcome to the FINAL Round of the Photo Hold’em Tournament. You can see the results of Round Four HERE. The tournament started with 28 competitors and … Read the rest

]]>Welcome to the FINAL Round of the Photo Hold’em Tournament. You can see the results of Round Four HERE. The tournament started with 28 competitors and we are now down to the final two photographers that have played the best photos so far. Everyone has casted their votes over the past couple months and now its time to choose the final winner who will take the huge pot for the tournament. Winner will get a pair of Scarpa Rebel Pro boots and a pair of Grivel Quantum Techs.

VOTE – For the last round Tim Banfield and Bob Thompson have played their best 4 photos. Please base your vote on the best overall hand of photos not a specific photo.

TIM BANFIELDS FINAL HAND

BOB THOMPSONS FINAL HAND

]]>http://www.coldfear.com/final-round-photo-holdem-contest/feed/11Z-Drivehttp://www.coldfear.com/z-drive/
http://www.coldfear.com/z-drive/#respondSun, 22 Mar 2015 23:55:01 +0000http://www.coldfear.com/?p=2472I grew up skiing, until the point where I was introduced to ice climbing. Since 1996, winter has always translated to ice climbing season. But … Read the rest

I grew up skiing, until the point where I was introduced to ice climbing. Since 1996, winter has always translated to ice climbing season. But in the last couple years, I have been incredibly inspired by Dean Lords, Beau Fredlund , Jason Killgore and Andreas Fransson. Their pictures and stories have motivated me to look at backcountry ski terrain differently. What was once a line of snow amongst the cliffs has become a ski line. I am by no means an incredible skier, I just happen to posses the skills to get myself up a mountain confidently and I feel more comfortable than most when it comes to exposed terrain. No doubt my confidence out weighs my abilities, so I try to remind myself to pump the brakes every so often.

Don’t worry, I have not gone to the dark side. Ice climbing still has a firm grasp of my passion. I just like the idea of combining the two for a high quality adventure.

If you have climbed in the South Fork Valley, you have more than likely parked at the Cabin Creek trailhead, a.k.a. the end of the road. For over 15 years, I parked there and the thought of skiing never crossed my mind. However, driving up the road in April 2013, all the sudden an obvious ski line appeared to me. I had noticed the obvious steep, snow-covered slab of rock, but skiing it was never a thought.

Z-Drive

Since skiing another incredible South Fork line last year (see HERE), I have had my eye on the striking line above Cabin Creek. Last year, I didn’t feel ready since I hadn’t spent very many days on my sticks in steep terrain. This year, I was still fresh from skiing and climbing in Norway and felt pretty good about committing to the line. It wasn’t in the best of conditions, but it was doable and the ice was melting fast in the valley so it seemed like a good option. I’m sure my partners would agree that once I set my sights on something and make a plan, there becomes no other option but that plan.

Aaron Mulkey and Shawn Gregory about to enjoy one of the best ski days of their life in Norway.

The night before, my buddies Chris Guyer and Nathan Danforth consumed numerous fish bowl margaritas as we discussed the warming temps and uncontrollable thoughts of winter’s end. Two margaritas in, I decided tomorrow was the day to go get this thing done and the three of us, unanimously intoxicated, agreed.

Unfortunately for Chris Guyer, 7am came too early and the margaritas consumed the night before chose a different adventure for his day. Nathan came along just to amuse me and with hopes of calling me out on a failed Mulkey Mission. Despite the warm temps, we headed up through the dense trees with very little snow on the ground until the hillside got too steep to ascend in ski boots. Once we traversed into the couloir, everything felt right and we began kicking steps up. As we got higher, I was surprised how the steep the lower face was and looking up, it seemed it would continue.

About half way up, I started to feel pretty exposed and we had to begin our traverse over to connect with the bottle neck of the upper face. At this point, Nathan decided he had satisfied his appetite for exposure and would stay at the traverse. Looking above, I could only see cliffs but knew there was a snowfield above me, which was my goal to ski. I kept moving on until I got to the keyhole to the above-hanging snowfield. I looked up, but could only see the narrow, steep chute above me rising into the cliffs. As I was about to leave Nathan’s sight, I yelled at him one last time with the hope I could persuade him to join me. Hearing not an ounce of doubt in his voice, I realized I would have to continue on solo. I fought with myself for a bit until I realized there was no safety in having him join me, only comfort.

Each stroke of my heel took me higher and deeper into the constriction. Eventually, the terrain opened up into a hanging football field of snow. I had hoped the slope leaned into the wall and towards the constriction, which would mean a mistake or slip would not be a quick ride to the grave. “Unlucky,” my high school soccer coach would say with a British accent. A brutal battle begins to rage in my head, but my fixed mindset wins and I move on.

Once fully committed to the slope above, my heart rate dropped and my decision became an anesthetic. I could feel the snow conditions starting to change with the heat of the day on my heels. Once I clicked in at the top, I took in the view and looked down the engaging line. I couldn’t think of a better place to be at that moment in time.

]]>http://www.coldfear.com/z-drive/feed/0Photo Hold’em Tournament- Round 4http://www.coldfear.com/photo-holdem-tournament-round-4/
http://www.coldfear.com/photo-holdem-tournament-round-4/#respondTue, 17 Mar 2015 03:33:50 +0000http://www.coldfear.com/?p=2463 Welcome to Round Four of the Photo Hold’em Tournament. You can see the results of Round Three HERE. Over 18,000 people enjoyed the second … Read the rest

Welcome to Round Four of the Photo Hold’em Tournament. You can see the results of Round Three HERE. Over 18,000 people enjoyed the second round so lets see how many will check out Round Four and VOTE!

VOTE for your favorite photo and the top voted photo in each bracket will move into the FINAL round where they will have to play a new photo from their hand of photos. Over $3,000 in gear is up for grabs. Each player is getting one step closer to taking the grand prize pot of goods from Scarpa, Grivel, Rab, Beal Ropes, Cilogear, Alpinist and the Alpine Training Center.